Method of applying caps to receptacles.



N0. 826,245. PATENTED JULY 17, 1906. I R. A, HALL.

METHOD OF APPLYING GAPS TO REGEPTAGLBS.

APPLIOATION FILED 0O T.2B, 1904.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT A. HALL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO STANDARD STOPPER COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 1'7, 1906.

Application filed October '28, 1904. Serial No. 230,321.

T at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, ROBERT A. HALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, county of New York, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Applying Caps -to Receptacles, fully described and represent .ed in the following specification and the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the simple and effective method by which flanged caps may be quickly and cheaply applied to receptacles and in such a manner that they will befirmly retained therein and at the same time readily removable.

Inasmuch as the process can best be un derstood by reference to illustrative drawings the invention will be described in connection with such drawings, the drawings including an illustration of a simple mechanism and parts thereof which may be used in carrying out the invention. It is to be understood, however, that the invention do es not depend in any way upon the particular mech anism illustrated or upon any mechanism, as the invention may be carried out by various forms of mechanism or by hand.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 represents an elevation of a bottle having a cap thereon and devices which may be employed to attach the cap to the bottle, certain parts being shown in section. Figs. 2 and 3 illustrate in section, on'a larger scale, different forms of caps applied to a bottle in accordance with the improved process.

The caps which are to be attached to the receptacles by the improved process are constructed of a flexible material, which, however, should be non-resilient sheet metalsuch, for instance, as tinned sheet-ironthis being ordinarily known to the trade as tin, being amaterial well adaptedfor the purpose. Such a cap is illustrated in the drawings and marked O, the cap being provided with a downwardly-extending flange 1. A form of cap which lends itself readily to the carrying out of the invention is of the formillustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings, in which the flange has a downwardly and outwardly flared extension 2, the flange and extension being circumferentially continuous. The invention may be carried intoeffect with forms of cap other than that shown. When a tight joint is to be made between the cap and the receptacle, this may be effected by'introducing a cork disk, such as that shown at 3,into the interior of the cap, this lying between the top of the cap and the mouth of the receptacle.

' The receptacles to which the caps are to be attached will be provided with lookingshoulders exteriorly located with respect to the mouths of the receptacles, the flan es of the caps being, as hereinafter pointed out, forced or bent beneath the shoulders to retain the caps in place.

The receptacle selected for illustrative purposes is abottle, (marked 4,) this bottle having an exterior shoulder 5, beneath which the edge of the flange of the cap is to be forced. In attachin a cap to a receptacle in accordance with t e invention pressure is applied to the lower edge of the flange of the cap, this pressure being of such a character as to cause the part 2 of the flange of the cap to bend and the edge to travel toward and bear against the shoulder of the receptacle, as is clearly indicated in Fig. 2. The pressure will be applied in such a manner as to cause the bending to take place on a circumferential line in the cap-flange at which the flange is out of contact with the shoulder. of the receptacle, so that the bending does not take place across this shoulder as a fulcrum. The bending operation therefore does not subject the material of the receptacle to undue strains and such strains as would, if the receptacle were of glass or vitreous material, tend to break it. The pressure may, if desired, be continued after the edge of the part 2 has come into contact with the shoulder of the receptacle, and if this is done the pressure will be so directed as to produce a further bend in the part 2, this being indicated at 6 in Fig. 3.

The carrying out of the method shown in Fig. 3 will be preferred when the cap is formed from light metal and when it is desired to draw the cap tightly down upon the bottle to form, for instance, a hermetic joint and also when it is desired to surely compensate for irregularities in the vertical height of the shoulders, such irregularities frequently occuring in receptacles formed of glass and earthenwaresuch, for instance, as bottles and jars. If comparatively heavy metal be used for the cap, the carrying out of the method illustrated in Fig. 2 will give good results and the cap may be firmly seated in such constructions. Irregularities in the height of the locking-shoulders Will not be as surely compensated for in this class of constructions.

The bending of the flange of the cap heretofore described may best be effected by employing a rolling pressure. Where the method is to be carried out by an apparatus, the receptacle and the pressure-applying tool should have a relative rotation. The process can be effectively carried out by providing a rotatable support, such as shown at 7, on which the bottle or other receptacle rests, the cap being held in position by a chuck 8, the chuck being connected to a shaft, (indicated at 9,) which is rotated, for instance, by a pulley, (shown at 10.) The pressure may be readily produced by employing a grooved wheel, such as shown at 11, mounted on a pivoted lever 12. The bottle or other receptacle having been mounted in the manner described and the cap firmly pressed down on the mouth of the receptacle, the 'rooved wheel 11 is brought to bear against t e edge of the flange. The pressure of the grooved wheel causes the flange to bend, the inner edge thereof traveling toward the under side of the shoulder of the receptacle. When the edge of the flange has traveled sufliciently far to strike the under side of the shoulder of the receptacle, the pressure may, if desired, .be released, in which case the attached cap will assume a form like that illustrated in Fig. 2. If desired, however, the pressure may be continued until a second bend is produced in the flange of the cap, in which case the construction produced will be similar to that illustrated in Fig. 3.

What is claimed is l. The method of applyin a flanged cap to a receptacle having a shou der located exteriorly with respect to its mouth beneath which the flange of the cap is forced, consisting in applying pressure to the edge of the flange While the cap is positioned on the rece tacle, the flange being caused to bend on a ine out of contact with the shoulder of the on the receptacle, the flange receptacle and the edge of the bent part being caused to travel by the bending operation toward and into forcible contact with the under side of the receptacle-shoulder, substantially as described.

2. The method of applyin a flanged cap to a receptacle having a shou der located eX- 1 teriorly with respect to its mouth beneath which the flange of the cap is forced, consisting in providing a cap with an outwardly-extending flange, and applying pressure to the edge of the flange while the cap is positioned on the receptacle, the flange being caused to bend on a line out of contact with the shoulder of the receptacle and the edge of the bent part being caused to travel by the bending operation toward and into forcible contact with the under side of the receptacle-shoulder, substantially as described.

3. The method of applying a flanged cap to a receptacle having a shoulder located exteriorly with respect to its mouth beneath which the flange of the cap is forced, consisting in applying pressure to the edge of the flange while the cap is positioned on the receptacle, the flange being caused to bend on a line out of contact with the shoulder of the receptacle and the edge of the bent part being caused to travel by the bending operation toward and into forcible contact with the under side of the receptacle-shoulder, and continuing the pressure until the flange again bends, substantially as described.

4. The method of applying a flanged cap to a receptacle having a shoulder located exteriorly with respect to its mouth beneath which the flange of the cap is forced, consisting in providing the cap with a continuous flange, and applying rolling pressure to the edge of the flange while the cap is positioned being caused to with the shouledge of the bent by the bending forcible contact bend on a line out of contact d er of the receptacle and the part .being caused to travel operation toward and into with the under side of the receptacle-shoulder, substantially as described.

5. The method of applying a flanged cap to a receptacle having a shoulder located exteriorly with respect to its mouth beneath which. the flange of the cap is forced, consisting in providing the cap with a continuous outwardly-extending flange, and applying rolling pressure to the edge of the flange while the cap is positioned on the receptacle, the flange being caused to bend on a line out of contact with the shoulder of the receptacle and the edge of the bent part being caused to travel by the bending operation toward and into forcible contact with the under side of the receptacle-shoulder, substantially as described.

6. The method of applying a flanged cap to a receptacle having a shoulder located eX- teriorly with respect to its mouth beneath which the flange of the cap is forced, consisting in providing the cap with a continuous outwardly-extending flange, ap lying rolling pressure to the edge of the flhnge while the cap is positioned on the rece tacle, the flange being caused to bend on aline out of contact with the shoulder of the receptacle and the ed e of the bent part being caused to my hand in the presence of'i two subscribing traveti by glhe bending opfiraktion tgwarddam} Witnesses. into orci e contact Wit t e un er si e 0 the receptacle-shoulder, and continuing the ROBERT HALL 5 pressure until the edge again bends, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set Witnesses:

J. A. GRAVES, W. H. KENNEDY. 

